The Fellowship of the Ring; The Two Towers; The Return of the King; [The Lord of the Rings]; Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings; Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings; Being the Third Part of The Lord of the Rings

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1967. Second edition. Hardcover. Very near Fine/Near Fine. 3 vol. 8vo. [7], 6-423, [5]; [6], 9-352; Black cloth with an orange and gold design (the ring and the eye of Sauron) on the front board, gold lettering on the spine; orange topstain. Black cloth with a red and gold design on the front board (the eye of Sauron on the ring), gold lettering on the spine; red topstain. Black cloth with a purple and gold design (the same design as the other two volumes) on the front board, gold lettering on the spine; purple topstain. Housed in a black paper slipcase with a red paper label printed in green. Price of $6.00 on each jacket's front flap. Jacket designs by Robert Quackenbush. The first volume illustrated with a few full-page maps and a fold-out map printed in red and black at the end of the volume. The second volume with the same map as the first, and the third volume illustrated with a chart and the same map in the rear. Hammond and Anderson A5f i-iii. First printings of the second edition of Tolkien's landmark work. One of the earliest works of epic fantasy, Tolkien's series would go on to help shape the next few generations of modern fantasy writers. The world of Middle Earth is beautifully developed in this series concerning friendship, and the power of the natural world against toxic industrialization. The jackets with discreet toning to the top edges of their flaps and their reverses, the slipcase with a few hints of rubbing, overall a stunning set.